Friday, July 4, 2008

I love the Taste & Create event. It allows you to go through someone's blog - I mean thoroughly. Like you would never have normally, and search for that one recipe that calls out to you. Its easy to choose a drink or something extra simple, but sometimes you just stretch a little bit and tell yourself that this is the chance to try a recipe that gets you out of your comfort zone.

I was paired with Katie at Other People's Food (go check out her blog - it's awesome), and I literally bookmarked DOZENS of recipes to try. The problem was which one to make and that took longer than usual. I finally decided I have to try making pierogies only because we loved them when we lived in the US and have missed them a lot.

Mix all the ingredients together and knead for about 10 minutes. Set aside for at least 1/2 hour. You can even make the dough up to 2 days ahead and store in the refrigerator.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible. Cut into circles and keep aside.

For the Potato and Jalapeno Filling:

1 lb potatoes, washed and peeled1 tbsp salt3 cups cold water1/2 cup Butter (I left out the butter at this stage - its in the photograph but I didn't use it - and trust me, you don't need it)1/2 cup Onion, chopped2 tbsp Jalapeno Peppers, chopped (I used about 4-5 tbsp because I wanted it really spicy)Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Boil the potatoes in a saucepan with the cold water and salt. Cook until soft. Remove from heat and mash the potatoes.In another saucepan, add a teaspoon of oil and the onions and saute until onions are soft or browned (if you like the caramelized onion taste, which I do and I did).Add the sauteed onions, chopped jalapenos and black pepper to the potatoes and mash together to combine.

To assemble:

Put about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold over and crimp to seal (I also used water to get the dough to stick since I was worried that it might open while boiling). I made those pretty marks with the tines of a fork. Easy.

Now bring some water to a boil in a saucepan and gently slip in the prepared pierogies (a few at time). Cook for about 10 minutes. Drain. These pierogies can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator.

When serving, heat some oil or butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the pierogies and brown the edges and serve hot.

It makes a great lunch with some veggies. And of course, you can experiment with lots of fillings.

Katie, thanks for taking me out of my comfort zone and for the awesome recipe - its a definite keeper. And thanks, Nicole, this event totally rocks!